CHAPEL HILL — One of the simpler ways to curtail the obesity epidemic could
be to cut the volume of sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks Americans are
increasingly consuming, authors of new study say.

The study, conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
showed that energy intake from such drinks in the United States increased 135
percent between about 1977 and 2001. Over the same span, energy intake from milk
-- a far more nutritious beverage -- dropped 38 percent.

A report on the research appears today (Sept.16) in the October issue of the
American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Authors, both at the UNC schools of
public health and medicine, are Dr. Barry M. Popkin, professor of nutrition
and a fellow at the Carolina Population Center, and nutrition graduate student
Samara Joy Nielsen.

"There has been considerable controversy about the promotion of soft
drinks in schools and elsewhere," Popkin said. "Extensive research on
all age groups has shown that consuming these soft drinks and fruit drinks
increases weight gain in children and adults."

One recent study even showed a link between high consumption of sweet
beverages and a greatly increased risk of diabetes, he said.

"Our new study highlights the fact that Americans in 2001 consumed more
energy from sugared beverages in larger portions and more servings per day than
in 1977," Popkin said. "The increases in soft drinks noted in the past
continue unabated into the new millennium. The decreased intake of milk is
possibly related to this change in energy intake from beverages and is a
negative trend because of the deficient calcium intake of Americans."

The study used nationally representative data to quantify changes in
Americans’ beverage consumption patterns – specifically, the increases in
sweetened beverages and decreases in milk over 24 years, he said. The sample
consisted of 73,345 U.S. residents age 2 and older.

Data analyzed came from the federally funded 1977-1978 Nationwide Food
Consumption Survey, the 1989 and 1994-1996 Continuing Surveys of Food Intake by
Individuals and the 1991-2001 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

"For each survey year, we calculated the percentage of total energy
intake from meals and snacks separately for people age 2 to 18, 19 to 39, 40 to
59 and 60 and over," Popkin said. "We also computed the percentage of
energy intake by location such as homes, vending machines, fast food
restaurants, regular restaurants and schools for each age group and for specific
beverages. We also determined proportions, average portion sizes and number of
servings daily."

Between 1977 and 2001, the study discovered that:

· Total energy derived from soft drinks each day rose on
average from 2.8 percent to 7 percent, nearly a tripling of calories.

· Milk supplied 5 percent of energy for all age groups,
down from 8 percent over the 24 years.

· Changes in intake of other beverages such as tea, coffee,
alcohol and fruit juices were minor for all age groups.

"The largest drop in milk consumption, from 13.2 percent of total energy
to 8.3 percent, occurred in 2- to 18-year-olds," Popkin said. "Milk
consumption played a much smaller role in total energy intake among all other
age groups."

Young adults ages 19 to 39 drank the most soft drinks, increasing their
intake from 4.1 percent to 9.8 percent of total daily calorie consumption during
the period, he said. Servings of sweetened beverages increased for every age
group, while servings of milk decreased for all.

"We found that the average number of soft drink servings per day climbed
from 1.96 in 1977 to 2.39 in 2001," Popkin said. "The largest drop in
milk servings occurred among 2- to 18-year-olds, which is obviously not
good."

Also during the period, he said, portions of sweetened beverages drunk jumped
from 13.6 ounces to 21 ounces, on average, among all age groups. In the 19- to
39-year-old age group, portions increased from 15.3 ounces to 25.5 ounces. As
consumed during mealtimes, the number of calories derived from milk fell from
127 to 82 over the 24 years.

The new study corroborates earlier research showing that soft drink
consumption is rising and is a significant contributor to total caloric intake,
Popkin said. The new work explores the trends and provides a much more detailed
examination of them.

A limitation of the study is that people who are overweight are more likely
than others to under-report how much they eat and drink, he said.

"Due to increases in under-reporting, it is likely that the current
estimates of beverage consumption were too low and that sweet beverages played a
larger role in Americans’ diets," Popkin said. "Little research has
focused on the beneficial impacts of reduced soft drink and fruit drink intake.
This would seem to be one of the simpler ways to reduce obesity in the United
States."

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Note:Popkin, who is in Europe, can be reached via
email at popkin@unc.edu.